Highland Brewing

dirtylou

Washington

3.94/5  rDev -3.7%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $$

Out on the fringe of town - huge interior with a stage setup for live entertainment.

We visited in between christmas and new years and the place was packed (90% tourists, at least). There was a large brewery tour commencing and almost everyone was drinking those blasted samplers.

Having had every release a few thousand times prior, opted for one of the 3 brewery exclusives - barrel aged cherry black mocha stout. Pretty disappointing - not a lot of barrel.

Really kind of hectic and too touristy of a vibe to really justify a return visit, unless there was something special on tap.

01-01-2013 21:17:08 | More by dirtylou

akorsak

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -2.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $$

Friday afternoon with Raquel, FTB, JBug, and ksak.

Atmosphere: Careful, you may get lost looking for the entrance. Up a steep driveway, Highland's campus unfolds. Outdoor seating leads to the open air warehouse, stage to the front left and bar to the right. Converted rail containers house office space. The brewery, including a small pilot system are behind glass walls on the right.

Quality: We were given the VIP tour by management, a nice little diversion through the brewery. The tap list featured some extra special offerings and space is very neat.

Service: Bar service did well for a busy afternoon. We cozied up with several pints (sorry, no offerings smaller than a pint glass, so be careful). Our tour, as mentioned, was extra special.

Selection: The regular line up of five beers was alright but things quickly got interesting after that. The Thunderstruck Porter, Razor Wit, and Little Hump, all seasonals, were good with Little Hump taking the cake. In addition, three one-offs: Bourbon Gaelic, Bourbon Black Mocha and Pale #2 were on. The bal-aged beers were excellent - a real treat.

No growler fills here - so be forewarned. Also, mind the pint servings.

Food: No food but food trucks rotate in regularly.

05-29-2012 20:28:17 | More by akorsak

tclapper

North Carolina

4.36/5  rDev +6.6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | $$

Stopped in today for the first time for a tour, and it is a must see if you're in the area. The tour guide knew his stuff and was helpful to everyone. It also helped that you got samples along the way. It's a pretty large brewery now, just pushing their way into the craft level. I haven't been there during the hours when the tasting room is open, but I'm definitely going back. Seems like a good atmosphere, and decent venue for a band, not to mention you get out by 8:00 so you can head out and check some other bars and beers out after.

05-17-2011 03:09:40 | More by tclapper

slowbie

North Carolina

4.06/5  rDev -0.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3.5 | $

Despite being much much larger than the rest, this place matches many of the other Asheville beer spots by being off the beaten path and pretty unmarked when you get to it. Fortunately, this one is more obvious than some (i.e. Wedge and Pisgah) so we got in there without a problem.

The inside of the tasting room is pretty cool, and includes the largest ceiling fan I've ever seen in my life. Old railway cars serve as offices and there are about five high tables and a lot of indoor open space including a cornhole game. The bar looks like it has about 15 taps (their seven regular beers are doubled up though, so only 8 different beers by my count). Generally I hope for a few brewery only options at a place this size. They had one (a black IPA), but more would have been much better. Pint prices were very reasonable, though I can't recall off the top of my head if they were $3 or $3.50.

I went on the tour with my wife as well. It was a pretty standard tour, though certainly the biggest brewery that I've ever been in. The best part about the tour is that it's free and includes free beer, about 4 ounces of each one.

The service here was very good and all the employees were very nice. The beer itself is good but not mindblowing.

They don't sell any food, though they mentioned that on some nights (Fri and Sat I believe) they have a catering company come in to sell food.

Overall I think it would be a shame to miss this place if you visit Asheville, but I wouldn't recommend contorting your schedule too much to make it there.

03-21-2011 14:27:35 | More by slowbie